Product Review: Supreme Slider

I love to free motion quilt.  Once I got over the bump of learning how it all works and getting my sea legs when it came to how to control the machine, my speed and forming the shapes, I became addicted.  I know that for a lot of folks it seems intimidating or too fussy to do at home, but I get a lot of joy out of it. 

That being said, there are a lot of gizmos and gadgets in the market targeted to quilters to make free motion quilting easier - there are clips and gloves and ointments and brackets and the list goes on.  You know me...the apple doesn't fall far from the gizmo-hating tree.  I was brought up by a gizmo hating quilter, so I too am a gizmo hating quilter. 

A while back one of our quilting buddies told us about a free motion quilting class she took in which the teacher had the Supreme Slider by Pat LaPierre on the list as a recommended supply.  She absolutely raved about how wonderful it was, and considering who was doing the raving, I conceded to giving it a try. 

So it came in this little folded pack, and it is just an 8.5" x 11" piece of slick teflon-esque material with a sticky bottom side that adheres to your machine like so:

It's not too difficult to get on there, but it does want to stick before you're ready for it to, so it takes a little finagling.  But one it's on, so long as your feed dogs are dropped and the hole is centered over the hole on your machine's throat plate, you're ready to rock.  

I should have taken a picture of the project I was quilting while I was using this thing, but to he honest, I didn't think about it. Oops!  But the Supreme Slider is WONDERFUL.  It really does reduce the friction like it claims to, and it is quite noticeable.  With my machine, there is an issue where, in heavily quilted areas, the threads want to catch on the open feed dog area.  I have NO idea why this happens, since the threads aren't loose, but it does.  Using the Supreme Slider seems to eliminate the issue in addition to eliminating the drag.  And, even though the backside gets linty after a while, it is very easy to clean and reuse.  For a gizmo...this thing is pretty sweet.

So what would I say are the pros and cons?

CONS

- If you have top loading bobbin case as I do, it's a pain to change the bobbin when it runs out.  If you aren't cautious to thread the bobbin thread up through the mat, it will get stuck on the sticky side and cause real issues if you don't notice and go to start sewing again. 

- For a one trick pony, it's spendy.  I had the advantage of being able to buy it wholesale, but it retails for just shy of $30.  

- Keep the packaging!  It doesn't come with anything to protect the sticky side from getting linty or dusty while you're not using it, other than the packaging it came in. 

PROS

- It really, really does reduce drag.

- It fits your machine even if you have an extension table.  My extension table likes to move while I'm quilting, and this helps keep that sucker from shifting.

- It is reusable.  I was able to get three quilts done before it was linty enough to affect its ability to adhere to my machine. 

- Speaking of washing, just some warm water and hand soap is all it takes to get the lint off.  Washing it with warm soapy water did not reduce its stickiness.

All in all, I give the Supreme Slider 4 out of 5 stars.  The cost and the bobbin issue are both enough to knock it out of 5 star status. 

You can find the Supreme Slider online here directly from the website. 

Product Review: Sewline Quick Thru Needle Threader

Sewline is a company that specializes in sewing and quilting notions, with their most well known product being the mechanical Sewline Fabric Pencil. They are growing more and more popular as a company, as people look for new gadgets to make their quilting process easier. Their pencils are indeed absolutely fabulous, but that's a review for another day. This time around I'll be reviewing their Quick Thru Needle Threader.

This guy.

What a fabulous idea! it looks like a lipstick case, but when you pull the top down, there's a needle threader! And, if you pull the bottom lid off, there's a little case to hold spare needles. What a cute little package, huh? That being said, Sewline, I'm taking you to the woodshed. While this is a great idea for a product, it would be so much nicer if it actually functioned properly. This thing is not well constructed at all. The threading piece is extremely fragile and it was my experience, as well as that of several of our shop's customers, that it broke after less than 10 uses. Now I was gentle with it, and I know my customers (this group of ladies have been handstitching for decades, I know they know how to use a needle threader properly) were too, yet this thing broke.

Thinking we might have recieved a bad shipment of threaders, we called the company to let them know that, "Hey, just so you know all of your threaders broke for us and our customers, so we have reason to believe that we recieved a shipment of defective threaders. What are you going to do about it for us?" Get ready for this: They told us that they knew they were defective when they sent them out, but we're in luck because they're selling replacement cartridges for us to buy to sell to our customers at $5. Basically, in order for the $10ish threader to work like it should have when it was purchased, our customers were expected by the company to buy a $5 replacement cartridge AND the company knew about it. Pretty sneaky on Sewline's part and that's a $15 threader now! Needless to say, we didn't charge for the replacement cartridge because that's pretty bogus. 

As an idea, this product is great. If our experience with the threaders involved them being functional right out of the package, I'd give this product 4 stars, easy. But that was not the case, and so the Sewline Quick Thru Needle Threader gets:

Product Review: Heat n' Bond Feather Weight

If you do fusible applique, then at the very least you have heard of the brand Heat n' Bond, if not used it yourself. There are a few good fusibles out there on the market, and I have found through trial and error that Heat n' Bond products work the best for me. Not that the others, like Steam-A-Seam or MistyFuse, don't work well; they do, but I like the results I get with Heat n' Bond better.

Anyway, so Heat n' Bond has developed and released their response to MistyFuse and the other very light fusibles, which is their Feather Weight brand. We got it in at the shop for Carol and I, since we do a lot of applique, to test and see what we thought. Our opinions differ. I like Feather Weight, and actually I prefer it to Heat n' Bond Lite (my previous staple). I concede, however, that Feather Weight has some...idiosyncrasies. But once you know how to deal with and counteract those quirks, it's a wonderful, wonderful thing to have on hand.

Feather Weight really is just that...it is light as a feather! I have a tendency to go for patterns and designs that pile layer upon layer, and so the thinner the fusible, the better. But like I said, there are some idiosyncrasies. When the fusible comes off the roll, Heat n' Bond has affixed the plastic instruction sheet to the inside (fusible) side of the roll. The adhesive is so thin that trying to pull that instruction sheet off without tearing a wide swath from the middle is both an exercise in patience and dexterity. I have found it difficult not to lose an inch or two from the end that I peel the sheet off of, but I have also found that once you get it started and it stops tearing, it can be ripped right off like usual. Also, if you pull the sheet off just a few inches past where you're planning to cut your piece off, the fusible won't tear when you go for another piece and have to tear the instructions off again.

Speaking of instructions, this is the one fusible where I do in fact follow them. You absolutely cannot use a higher iron setting on this stuff, because the fusible is so thin it'll just dissolve away if you do. It on;y takes a second or two to adhere it to your fabric, but once it's on there, it's fabulous. Because of its thinness, it's able to be repositioned on your applique. The drawback on that thinness though is that repeated ironing, when you assemble your applique, makes the fusible dissovle a little more each time so you may find your corners coming up as you stitch everything down if you're working on a more intricate project.

So with Heat n' Bond Featherweight, its assets are also its liabilities. I have found, however, that it is more beneficial than not and it's definitely a product worth giving a try.

I give Heat n' Bond Feather Weight...

Top 5 Quilting Notions and Tools I Can't Live Without

1. Omnigrid 4" Needlecraft Scissors

I LOVE these scissors. Seriously. I carry them with me always (well, except on planes) because they are useful for so much. While I don't care for their rulers, one of the great things about Omnigrid Scissors is that they stay sharp for a very long time and these little guys are no exception; we use Omnigrid scissors at the shop and after 7 years they have not dulled. These are great for cutting out applique, because the tip is so sharp it cleanly gets into any of the teeny corners your applique may have. They're perfect for keeping by your machine for snipping threads, because they stay out of the way. But most of all, these have replaced my seam ripper and my seam snip scissors. The tip of these scissors is so small and SO sharp it gets in under the stitches of a seam easier than a plain ol' seam ripper, in my opinion. We do carry these at The Cotton Patch, so if you want to give 'em a try, come on in!

2. Atlas Gardening Gloves

Here's a secret - the best quilting gloves I have ever had were a pair of my Mom's gardening gloves. She turned me on to this, too! These are Atlas brand gardening gloves, and the palm surface of the glove is rubberized from the tips of your fingers to the heel of your hand. This gives you a greater surface gripping area while you're quilting your quilt, therefore you have less slippage and greater control than you do with quilting gloves that have finger grips only. The back of them are cloth so they breath very nicely - no sweaty hands! Plus, you can get them very inexpensively (less than $5 at Fred Meyer here in Oregon, comparably priced at places like Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, etc) and they last for a long time. They seriously facilitate the quilting process on a domestic machine.

3. Bamboo Stiletto

We have these at the shop. They're exactly what they sound like. It's a stiletto. It's made of bamboo. What I like so much about it is that it's double ended; there is a thicker side for more heavy duty tasks, and a thinner sharper side for normal stiletto duties. I like these better than the metal ones, because the metal ones have a tendency to dull over time and separate from their handles. Bamboo stilettos come in one whole piece, it's durable, keeps its point and it's a very sustainable and renewable resource. They are inexpensive so you get a lot of bang for your buck, because they are great for more than just guiding fabric through your feed dogs. I use it for applique, scrapbooking, working with polymer clay...it's great.

4. Emery Board

Yes. A regular, plain ol' emergy board. Dollar Store, Rite Aid, Target...they can be found everywhere, eveb gas station quickie marts. For one, I break nails all the flippin' time, even quilting, so I need 'em. But what I really use them for most is after ripping out a seam, it gets those stray threads out better than anything else I have tried. There is no way I'm going to pick those little things out by hand, so running an emery board over those threads (gently!) works like a dream and a $2 pack will literally last you years because the surface won't wear down quickly on snipped threads.

5. Applique Pressing Sheet

We have these at the shop. If you do fusible applique, this thing comes in handy like you wouldn't believe. You can build your appliques up and fuse them together before positioning them on your background. It helps ensure that you get your image put together correctly before it's fused to tha background and it's too late to fix it. It's transluscent so that helps you see your fabrics and lines as needed. It's also great for fusing Angelina Fibers, using to catch hot glue, or using any glue on because it'll peel or wash right off, no problems. They are reasonably priced and last for ages.

Hide yo' fabric, hide yo' patterns cuz I'm back bloggin' errything in here!

...Sorry, I relapsed and had an "If Antoine Dodson were a Quilter" moment.

Apologies. So, it's been awhile, I know. Things in my life are FINALLY starting to get back to ops norm. The carpets are torn up and the beautiful wood floor is in. It looks like a completely different house! Also, Lauren is moved in and just about settled.

...which, in related news, I've corrupted her and she's going to start sewing!! I'm starting a quilting apocalypse; it's like the zombie apocalypse we keep hearing about, only instead of turning people into zombies, I'm turning them into quilters! Bahahaahah-oh. Sorry. Got carried away. But yes, she bought her first bit of fabric and I'm going to teach her something super quick and easy to do to get her interested. I don't think quilting will be the thing for her, but I think crafty sewing will...like potholders, makeup bags etc. That kind of stuff. Yay for her!!! :D

Anyway. So since everything has been in a state of flux at home, I haven't been working on anything requiring my machine. This whole month I have sewn once. ONCE! Talk about torture!! I'm happy to have one of my best friends here, but the renovation and moving process had forced me to shove my machine into a lonely and crowded corner in the side room, and not being able to sew has, to be completely honest, sucked voraciously. I'm super behind on projects and they keep piling on...what I need is a retreat! Hm...

-----------------

In the mean time, I've been working on little hand sewing ventures and just cruising the internet longing to be sewing instead. *insert melodramatic sigh here* Okay, maybe I'm speaking a liiiiittle (only a little...) hyperbolically. I've been buried under yo-yos! Mom had a neat idea for the shop to use as a decoration (not as a sample or project) and volunteered me to make the "we'll start with 70 and see how it looks" yo-yos, since among us I'm the one that doesn't mind doing the repetitious handwork.

That being said, I'm turning my focus to yo-yo makers. I have changed my feeling on them. I've decided that I'm taking the Alton Brown approach to this sewing gadget: Brown (from Good Eats on the Food Network) talks about how unitask gadgets in the kitchen are really next to useless unless it's for a food that you make several times a week, and encourages people to seek out multitasking items instead. Yo-yo makers are unitaskers. Realistically,  they ONLY make yo-yos, and only the one size it's designed to make. If you do tons of projects using yo-yos in some form or another, and you make them all the same size and you need to be consistent at that size, then they're great! But how many of us really do that? Let's be honest with ourselves. Aside from the handful of yo-yos we may use to embellish a piece or the extremely rare occasion we think it might be cool to do a quilt made entirely of yo-yos, they just aren't a major player in most people's work. So. That thing just sits there for however many months (or years) until we make something with yo-yos and them remember what a pain in the rear it is and quit.

I admit that if I only have a couple yo-yos to do, then yes, I will use a yo-yo maker because I do have a couple. It goes relatively quickly and it's really really fool-proof. But I have to say, I prefer doing the whole process by hand. I find that I go slower using the yo-yo makers, because of having to move the needle all the way up and down through the holes in the plastic, meaning I can't load my needle with 10-15+ stitches at once. Seriously, the time I take tracing my circle/heart/oval/flower out is more than made up for with the speed I can do that single gathering stitch without using that damned plastic disk. Not to mention, I can do whatever size or shape I want using my own template, which can also be used as an applique temple in other projects, without sacrificing consistency.

That's just my humble opinion. If you're all for yo-yo makers, then all the power to you! They are a neat tool...I just used a popcorn tin lid instead!

I'm just about out of computer time here at the moment,  but I have more to say about things I've learned since I haven't been sewing much...tips and hints and a very begrudging tip of my hat to Fons and Porter.

Quilting Basics 101: So many needles, so many types and sizes...so what?

Anyone who has ever had the joy of sewing away on a their sewing machine knows that when things are good, they're great and when they're not, well, things are downright weird. I have 2 machines with 2 VERY different temperaments, and when they misbehave I always seem to sit there scratching my head (and definitely not swearing at it...nope...not I...) and wondering where it all went wrong.

So this time I want to take a minute to focus on our machines - what they need, what they want, and what to do when they decide to take their ball and go home. There are LOTS of blogs out there with varying opinions and information on what I'm going to talk about, so I recommend doing a search and reading up on their information too. I'll post some links along the way (they'll be the ones in green and underlined), and they are the places where I supplemented my information. I think for the first time, I'll focus on choosing a needle...because even though it sounds like a "so what?" kind of thing, it really is relatively important!


Yes, the Needle You Use Matters!
Up until recently, I thought that a needle was a needle was a needle was a needle. I didn't get why they would need to sell anything but Sharps - I mean, excluding the Twin Needles, they all look dang near the same, so big whoop, right? Wrong! The needle you choose does matter. Using the incorrect needle for the job can mar your fabric, snap your thread, cause tension issues and wreak general havoc. Okay, so that last part is an exaggeration, but it sounds good, doesn't it?

Okay, so first things first. When I started buying needles I had no flippin' clue what the numbers on the front of the needle pack meant. 80? 90? 12? 14? What the heck is that even supposed to mean? Well, like the gauge on wire, that number refers to the size of the needle (thickness). Normally the pack will say something like 90/14 or 80/12 (okay, so I may have those numbers reversed...but for the sake of example...). All that is, is the Metric measurement/the King's System measurement (for my U.S. readers, the King's System is what we use). It doesn't matter which you go by, just so long as you understand what it means. For my overseas readers, the 70/80/90 is for you; for my U.S. readers, the 10/12/14 is for you. It's also worthwhile to know that the smaller your needle size, the smaller the eye of the needle will be. That's something to keep it mind.

So why the different sizes? It all has to do with the task at hand. Are you planning to stitch on something sheer, or something heavy like canvas? The thicker your fabric, the thicker your needle will want to be. Large needles will mar fine fabrics, and small needles may burr or break in thick fabrics. Sew, Mama, Sew laid it out the best...I can't say it better, so I won't!:

• Delicate Fabrics: When sewing with fabrics such as silk, chiffon, voile, fine lace or organza a fine “size 9″ needle would usually be the best choice.
• Lightweight Fabrics: When using lighter weight fabrics such as synthetic sheers, batiste, taffeta or velvet would a “size 11″ needle would be the normal choice.
• Medium Weight Fabrics: When sewing with slightly heavier weight fabrics such as gingham, poplin, linen, muslin, chambray, wool crepe, flannel, knits, jersey, wool, wool suiting, or stretch fabrics a “size 14″ needle is generally best.
• Medium-Heavy Fabrics: Sewing with fabrics such as gabardine, heavy suiting or tweed would require a “size 16″ needle.
• Heavy Fabrics: When using heavy weight fabrics such as denim, ticking, upholstery or canvas a “size 18″ needle is the most suitable.

 So you know the needle size you need, but what kind of needle should you use? There are so many brands and types out there, so how do you know? Well, everyone has the brand they prefer, which they figure out through trial and error. I'm a Schmetz girl, and I absolutely do not like Klasse needles. But that's just me! You either all ready have your brand of choice, or you'll find it so no worries there. As far as type goes...there are several to choose from and each are suited for certain tasks. These are the most common, though there are many more:

• Sharps: These are my default needles. I use them for most things, but really they are intended for tightly woven fabrics (like Batiks) or for fabrics that are finer in texture, like silks. The needle itself is tapered, thinner and very, very sharp so it doesn't disrupt the fabric quite as much.
• Universal: They are what they sound like; they're good for just about everything. While not as sharp as sharps (these have an ever-so-slightly rounded point), they still are very sharp and get the job done on most fabrics. When you buy a machine, this is usually the type of needle it comes with.
• Quilting/Betweens: These are meant for quilting your quilt sandwich. They are designed with the length of the needle being very strong to withstand having to pierce several layers of fabric and batting. Even in the larger thicknesses, the eye of the needle is fairly small.
• Metallic: If you are using metallic or monofilament thread, these needles are Godsends! If you try and use these threads in other needles, they have a tendency to strip and break, which, spekaing for myself, sends me into a tailspin of frustration and...not...swearing at my project. The eye of the needle is a little smoother and has a very thin coating of Teflon (or something very similar to it) to help ease the thread through with minimal damage to it as it pierces the fabric.
• Ballpoint: These needles are meant specially for knits and wovens. They do not work well with quilting cottons, fine fabrics or heavy weight fabrics. These needles have rounded points rather than sharp ones (though I still wouldn't want to step or sit on one...youch!), which means they push between the fibers rather than piercing through. It's a needle you'd use more often in garment sewing and general sewing than in quilting, though you may in quiling on occasion.
• Jeans/Denim: This needle is a real workhorse. It is not suitable for most quilting cottons or finer fabrics; it is definitely meant for denim and canvas weight fabrics. It is very sharp and the eye is slender, to help facilitate its movement through thick fabric. It is also more resistant to breakage than most other needles.
• Embroidery: The eyes of these needle are larger to accomodate heavier weight threads and thicker, more decorative threads. The eye is longer and the groove along the length of the needle is deeper to help protect the thicker threads. If you have an embroidery unit on your machine,or you do art quilting, this is a needle you will use fairly regularly. In general sewing and quilting, you may not use it quite as much.

As far as the life of a needle goes, really (if you're the perfect quilter in an ideal world...or just very attentive to these things) you should changeit every project to be sure that you have a fresh, sharp needle. If your needle is dull or has a burr (which can happen from it nicking the bobbin case...or more likely, from running over that pin you "never ever ever" sew over), it can cause issues ranging from breaking your thread, marring your fabric or throwing off your machine's tension. If you hear clicking or popping while you sew, if your thread keeps breaking, if your machine is skipping stitches or if your fabric is tearing where the needles enters, change your needle - it is either too dull or it has a burr in it.

If you needle is dull, burred, or if you run over a pin (which I know none of us would ever do *cough*) your needle can break. If your needle breaks, usually the thread will keep the 2 broken halves together and it's an easy fix. But sometimes, and this really bites, but the point will fly off and hit you (my insolent broken needle hit me in the forehead once, no joke) which could be bad, or it can get stuck down in the bobbin area of the machine and really screw things up. I haven't had the latter happen to me *knock on wood* but I do know that it can happen.

Anyway, if you've lasted this long, I hope this was helpful and informative!

Sources: Sew, Mama Sew and Quilt Bug